This week, we discuss two critically acclaimed feature films from first time directors. The first is Killer of Sheep (1978), edited, filmed, written, produced and directed by Charles Burnett. Shot primarily in 1972 and 1973, it was originally submitted by Burnett to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fine Arts thesis. The second is Ge…

This week, we discuss two British gangster films from the early 1970s. The first is Sitting Target (1972), directed by Douglas Hickox and starring Oliver Reed, Ian McShane and Jill St. John. It was based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Laurence Henderson and is about a man intent on escaping prison to kill his unfaithful wife. The second is V…

This week, we discuss two films starring friend of the show Philip Seymour Hoffman. The first is Owning Mahowny (2003). The film is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his gambling addiction. It was named one of the ten best films of the year by critic Roger Ebert. The second …

This week, we discuss two films from acclaimed director Terrence Malick. The first is To the Wonder (2012), an experimental romantic drama starring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem. Filmed in Oklahoma and Paris, the film chronicles a couple who, after falling in love in Paris, struggle to keep their relationship from fa…

This week, we discuss two films which feature wrestling. The first is Paradise Alley (1978), an American sports drama written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone (in his feature directorial debut). The film tells the story of three Italian American brothers in Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s who become involved in professional wrestling. The …

This week, we discuss two critically acclaimed films from Brazil. The first is Estômago (2007), a Brazilian–Italian film directed by Marcos Jorge. It tells the story of Raimundo, a humble man who moves to the big city to become a chef. The film won a number of awards in Brazil. The second is Bacurau (2019), a Weird Western film written and directed…

This week, we discuss two films from American director Samuel Fuller. The first is White Dog (1982), a drama/horror film based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same name. The film depicts the struggle of a dog trainer named Keys (Paul Winfield), who is black, trying to retrain a stray dog found by a young actress (Kristy McNichol), that is a "whi…

This week, we discuss two films which competed for the Palme d’Or in 2021. The first is A Hero (2021), an Iranian-French drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh and Sahar Goldoost. The film was screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the Grand Prix. The second is Annette (2…

This week, we discuss two highly acclaimed films from the 90s. The first is Before the Rain (1994), a Macedonian war film written and directed by Milcho Manchevski and starring Katrin Cartlidge and Rade Šerbedžija. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards. The second is Farewell My Concubine (1993), a Chinese…

This week, we discuss two films from the 1970s starring Elliott Gould. The first is The Silent Partner (1978), a 1978 Canadian thriller film directed by Daryl Duke and starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, and Susannah York. The second is Capricorn One (1977), a 1977 British-produced American thriller film in which a reporter discovers that …

This week, we discuss two films from legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. The first is Throne of Blood (1957), which is based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles. With a budget of $350,000, the film was one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan at the time of its release. The se…

In this week’s episode we run through our best of 2023, starting with our top 5 toss pick films. We also delve into our favourite (and least favourite) media released last year. Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie Letterboxd – @andycifpod @donnchadh Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.c…

This week, we discuss two films connected to Sherlock Holmes. The first is Zero Effect (1998), a mystery comedy film written and directed by Jake Kasdan in his feature directional debut. Starring Bill Pullman as "the world's most private detective", Daryl Zero, and Ben Stiller as his assistant Steve Arlo, the film's plot is loosely based on the Art…

This week, we discuss two films about the Japanese mafia. The first is The Yakuza (1974), a neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader. The second is Sonatine (1993), directed,…

This week, we discuss two American horror films. The first is Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), an independent film co-written and directed by John Hancock. The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of a psychologically fragile woman who comes to believe that another strange, mysterious young woman she has let into her home may actually be a …

This week, we discuss two films featuring one actor playing two identical characters. The first is The Double (2013), an adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella of the same name. The film, directed by comedian Richard Ayoade, stars Jesse Eisenberg as colleagues Simon James and James Simon. The second is Double Impact (1991), starring Jean-Clau…

This week, we discuss two crime films from the 1970s. The first is Mikey and Nicky (1976), written and directed by Elaine May. It stars John Cassavetes as a desperate small-time mobster and Peter Falk as his longtime, childhood friend. The second is The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and directed by Peter Yat…

This week, we discuss two films starring actor Russell Crowe. The first is The Water Diviner (2014), a fictional story set during and after the ANZAC Gallipoli campaign in WW1. The film marked Crowe’s first outing as a director. The second is Les Misérables (2012), an adaptation of the world-famous musical. Alongside Crowe, the film version stars H…

This week, we discuss two films about the media. The first is Broadcast News (1987), a romantic comedy starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks and William Hurt. The film, written and directed by James L. Brooks, was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The second is Network (1976), written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, a sc…

This week, we discuss two horror/thrillers made in Australia. The first is Roadgames (1981), starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film, directed by Hitchcock protégé Richard Franklin, is a reimagining of Rear Window from the cab of a truck. The second is Triangle (2009), directed by British genre director Christopher Smith. It tells the s…

This week, we discuss two classic cult horror films. The first is Psycho 2 (1983), a psychological slasher directed by Richard Franklin. It is the first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho and the second film in the Psycho franchise. The second is The People Under the Stairs (1991), a horror comedy written and directed by Wes Craven. The …

This week, we discuss two neo-noir films about the world of organised crime. The first is The Outfit (1973), starring Robert Duvall as a version of Donald E. Westlake’s “Parker” character, first played by Lee Marvin in Point Blank (1967). The second is Killing Them Softly (2012), a film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt.…

This week, we discuss two films featuring cross-cultural relationships involving Arab immigrants. The first is The Visitor (2007), starring Richard Jenkins as a lonely middle-aged man who befriends a younger Palestinian-Syrian djembe drum player. Jenkins received a Best Actor nomination at the 81st Academy Awards. The second is Ali: Fear Eats the S…

This week, we discuss two films directed by Robert Altman in the 1970s. The first is California Split (1974), starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of sleazy gamblers who head to Reno to try to win big. The second is Nashville (1975), a huge ensemble piece focused on the American country music capital. The film is often considered to be…

This week, we discuss two classic Hollywood films from the 1960s starring Jack Lemmon. The first is The Odd Couple (1968), a comedy film directed by Gene Saks, produced by Howard W. Koch and written by Neil Simon, based on his 1965 play. It stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as two divorced men – neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slo…

This week, we discuss two classic Japanese films from the 1950s. The first is Tokyo Story (1953), a drama directed by Yasujirō Ozu, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their adult children. Tokyo Story is widely regarded as Ozu's masterpiece and one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. It was voted the 3rd greatest film of…

In this week’s episode, we discuss the 4 big films of the summer: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links https://www.justwatch.com…

This week, we discuss two films based on novels by English novelist Robert Harris. The first is An Officer and a Spy (2019), a historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski about the Dreyfus affair, with a screenplay by Polanski and Robert Harris based on Harris's 2013 novel of the same name. It received twelve nominations for the 45th César Awa…

This week, we discuss two films connected to American author Dennis Lehane. The first is Live by Night (2016), an American crime drama set in the 1920s. The film, an adaptation of Lehane’s novel, stars Ben Affleck, who also served as screenwriter and director on the project. It was a huge flop upon release, netting a meagre $22.7 million from a $90…

In this week’s episode, we talk about what we’ve been watching before heading into a discussion of the 32nd film in the MCU, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). What We’ve Been Watching Donnchadh – Deliverance, Evil Dead Rise, Beef Andy – Calibre, Hustle, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Links Instagr…

This week, we discuss two classic films from American auteur directors. The first is Blow Out (1981), a neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma and starring John Travolta. Quentin Tarantino praises De Palma as the "greatest director of his generation" and cites Blow Out as one of his three favourite films that he would…

In this week’s episode, we talk about what we’ve been watching and discuss some listener feedback. What We’ve Been Watching Donnchadh – Dirty Harry, Smile, The Guilty, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Moneyball, Last Kingdom season five Andy – The Day Shall Come, Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Air, The Beasts (As Bestas) Links Instagram …

This week, we discuss two classic films from Austrian-American director Otto Preminger. The first is Anatomy of a Murder (1959), a ground-breaking courtroom drama starring James Stewart and George C. Scott. The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. The second is Laura (1944), a film noir focusing on a police officer who falls in love with a woma…

In this week’s episode, we talk about what we’ve been watching before moving into a discussion of the latest Bobby Farrelly comedy, Champions (2023). What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:42) Donnchadh – John Wick 2 & 3, Demonoid, The One Armed Executioner, Superbad, The Menu, The Favourite, Bullit Andy – Reacher Season one, Mike Vecchione – The Attracti…

This week, we discuss two films which deal with daddy issues. The first is The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Derek Cianfrance’s follow-up to the much acclaimed Blue Valentine (2010). It stars Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, alongside a stacked supporting cast, as two men whose families’ fates become intertwined following a deadly encounter. The s…

In this week’s episode, we recap the Oscars and talk about what we’ve been watching, including our responses to season one of The Last of Us, before finally moving into a discussion of the latest Jonah Hill Netflix comedy, You People (2023). What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:57) Oscars recap Donnchadh – The Last of Us season one, 300, Harry Potter an…

This week, we discuss two films from German director Wim Wenders. The first is Alice in the Cities (1974), which tells the story of a journalist charged with accompanying a young girl from New York across Europe in search of her family. The second is The American Friend (1977), starring Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz. The film is an adaptation of the…

In this week’s episode, we caught up on 3 recent streaming/VOD releases: Knock at the Cabin (2023), Women Talking (2022) & The Whale (2022). What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:47) Donnchadh – Slow Horses season two, Karen Pirie, Fargo, Yellow Submarine Andy – Slow Horses season two Knock at the Cabin (00:19:40) Women Talking (00:33:22) The Whale (00:4…

This week, we discuss two devastating films about young women in extremely bleak situations. The first is Rosetta (1999), starring Émilie Dequenne as the eponymous protagonist, a young girl living with her alcoholic mother in a trailer park in Belgium. The film, directed by the Dardenne brothers, won the Palme d’Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.…

In this week’s episode, we discuss the most recent film from Italian director Luca Guadagnino, Bones and All. The director won the Silver Lion at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. The film stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet as two young lovers on a road trip across the USA, exploring both their blossoming relationship and their compulsion to e…

This week, we discuss two French crime films. The first is Le Samourai (1967), starring Alain Delon and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film tells the story of Jef Costello, a lone hitman who works to outsmart both the police and the angry mobsters who hired him. The second is A Prophet (2009), directed by Jacques Audiard. It stars Tahar Rahi…

In this week’s episode, we discuss what we’ve been watching, and the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, before moving on to talk about Charlotte Wells’ debut feature, Aftersun (2022). What We’ve Been Watching (00:07:10) Donnchadh –Happy Valley season three, The Deuce season three, Tár, All Quiet on the Western Front Andy –The Last of Us episo…

This week, we discuss two WWII films set in the Pacific. The first is The Railway Man (2013), which tells the story of Eric Lomax, a British officer who was tortured and forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway. The film stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and Stellan Skarsgård. The second is The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), an epic directed by ac…

In this week’s episode, we discuss the most recent film from Swedish director Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. This was Östlund’s second consecutive Palme d’Or win after winning for The Square in 2017. What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:53) Donnchadh – Rosemary’s Baby, The Man Who Shot L…

This week, we discuss two films from acclaimed writer/director Paul Schrader. The first is American Gigolo (1980), which tells the story about a high-priced escort in Los Angeles, played by Richard Gere, who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife, while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case. The second…

In this week’s episode, we discuss the best and worst things we watched in 2022, including: our top 5 toss pick and companion films for the podcast (with honourable mentions) our worst toss pick (with dishonourable mentions) the best films and tv series released in 2022 Finally, we finish up with talking about what we're looking forward to in 2023.…

In this week’s episode, we discuss the new film from James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water. What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:48) Donnchadh – The Capture season one, What is a Woman?, Get Carter, The Expanse season four, Bad Sisters Andy – Vertigo, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Banshees of Inisherin Avatar: The Way of Water …

This week, we discuss two films from acclaimed Italian director Federico Fellini. The first is Amarcord (1973), a semi-autobiographical tale about Titta, an adolescent boy growing up among an eccentric cast of characters in 1930s Fascist Italy. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The second is La Dolce Vita (1960), which …

In this week’s episode, we discuss the latest entry to the Star Wars universe on Disney+, Andor (2022). What We’ve Been Watching (00:00:50) Donnchadh – Elevator to the Gallows, My Dinner with Andre, The White Lotus season 2, The Bear Andy – Enigma, Eastbound and Down season 3, Rick and Morty season 6, Rogue One Andor (00:37:40) Links Instagram - @c…

This week, we discuss two films from the early 1980s set in two of America’s casino cities. The first is Atlantic City (1980), directed by acclaimed French director Louis Malle. The film, which stars Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon, was nominated for 5 Academy Awards. The second is One from the Heart (1982), Francis Ford Coppola’s disastrous foll…